Ben's Blog

ευχαριστώ (Ef-Harry-Stow) - Thank you

Growing up in the Deep South, there are three things in life that are mandatory: sweet tea, church attendance, and manners. Though water makes up 90% of my diet now and I’ll have the occasional urge to skip my 9:00 am alarm on a Sunday, I still hold fast and true to being able to show my respect and appreciation to anyone I encounter. ‘ευχαριστώ’, or ‘thank you’ in English, was more than a foreign Greek word for me over the past few days. It was a way for me to express how I felt to everyone around me. To the man serving me baklava, for being generous and patient to a man who can barely speak English, let alone Greek. To the friends and leaders around me on this trip, for making my time away from home more enjoyable than I could have imagined. To my family at home, for getting me through college and encouraging me to take this opportunity and ‘live life’ a little. And, of course, to the Close Scholar Foundation, for giving this undeserving college student the blessing of a lifetime, experiencing a whole new world that has opened his eyes to unique food, never before seen culture, and a first hand look at the divine landscape created thousands of years before me. One of the highlighting pieces of this trip was visiting the Acropolis. Although my bad knees would beg to differ, climbing to the peak and overlooking a city consumed with a sunset created a new found perspective in my mind, realizing there’s so much more out there to be thankful for. Or, in other words, make you say, ‘ευχαριστώ’. This eye candy of a sight draws a craving inside to explore more and immerse myself in cultures and areas different from my own. Though I may not enjoy every aspect of an unfamiliar society, I can still find things to be thankful for, from culinary creations and desirable drinks to traditions and customs to, of course, the sights and visuals. I’m excited to see what area of the world I explore next (as long as it’s 50 degrees or warmer there) and find which aspect I can find a new appreciation in. And, if you read until the end of this blog, ευχαριστώ Thank you.

Miguel's Blog

From Olive to Oil

I grew up in a very religious family and at an early age I learned a lot of wisdom from my spiritual upbringing. One lesson that always stuck out to me was the analogy of the olive. I remember hearing in church that the olive must go through the shaking, the beating, and the pressing in order for its oil to flow.

From that moment in my childhood throughout my journey into early adulthood, I’ve always viewed myself as an olive. The oil is the valued prize that comes from the process that an olive must undergo. My life has been full of moments that felt like shaking, beating, and pressing. These moments were extremely uncomfortable and even forced me to question the purpose in all of it. However, seeing how far I’ve come in my life and reflecting on all of the amazing lessons that I have learned, I believe that this is my oil flowing and the uncomfortable process was worth it.

Now being in Greece, we had the beautiful opportunity of visiting an olive grove and learning more specifics about the process and what makes good oil. Our amazing presenter provided us with a wealth of knowledge and shared insight that I would’ve never imagined. We learned that green olives and the darker olives are most times the same olives, just picked at different times. Also, the more green in color the oil the better prepared the olives were. Rainfall impacts the size of the olives. And sadly, it’s been a struggle to find employees to pick the olives for the oil making (a common problem we are also facing in America). And most importantly we learned that an olive must be shaken, beaten, and pressed in order for the oil to be created…just like me.

Sydney G's Blog

Syd’s Blog

Our first full day of sightseeing brought me an emotional and life changing experience. Beginning in Athens, I was eager to see what our first day would hold, specifically our time exploring the Acropolis of Athens. Seeing the beautiful architecture from below was surreal on its own, however, when we began to climb our way to the top of this historical community, its beauty began to move me.

As a senior fine arts student, my entire college career has taught me the rich history of ancient art, and one of the most memorable and foundational pieces we’re taught is the Parthenon found atop of the Acropolis. Climbing through the temple’s entrances to reach the heart of the Acropolis was breathtaking, but seeing the Parthenon completely brought my time at Winthrop into perspective. This is an experience that I will cherish forever, and it has pushed me to dig further into the history of ancient and contemporary art. I feel overwhelmed with emotion that I, a first-generation student, would be given this opportunity. I’m thankful and so blessed to see the world with this group by the generosity of the Close Family who have chosen to pour love and support into our lives.